Students come together at Cowpens National Battlefield’s Kids Get Outdoors Day

From staff reports

Published: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 3:51 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 3:51 p.m.

Cowpens National Battlefield’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and Teacher-Ranger-Teacher (TRT) hosted a Kids Get Outdoors Day on June 27. The YCC is a summer employment program for young men and women between the ages of 15-18 who work and learn together on projects that further the development and conservation of the natural resources of the United States. Among the 100+ participants in the Kids Get Outdoors Day were 60 Hispanic children from the local Migrant School, a 4-week school for children whose parents are working in the area for the summer. The youth planned the educational activities under the auspices of one of the park’s TRTs, who arranged for groups to participate.

Superintendent John Slaughter says of this program, “This is just one way in which we are able to facilitate the amazing discovery of shared diversity and inclusion among local youth. Our YCC experienced sharing local culture and history with a group of children they previously didn’t know existed in the community. My flat hat goes off to our Teacher-Ranger-Teachers for putting into action our goal to diversify the next generation of NPS stewards!”

The circa 1828 Robert Scruggs House provided the backdrop for the students to learn about early American life, and the YCCs and TRT dressed in 18th century clothing to demonstrate the difference in how people dress today versus 200 years ago. By playing games such as “Jump the Brook”, quoits (an early version of ring toss), and 9 pins (bowling), and by making their own spinners, sachets, drums, and punched tin, the children who ranged in age from 3 – 15 years old, learned about life in the 18th and 19th century South Carolina backcountry. While visiting, they also learned about early American people hunting, farming, and cutting trees to make their clothes, food, and houses. The activities that the YCC and TRT led meshed perfectly with this year’s Migrant School theme: South Carolina History. One of the YCCs stated, “It was fun for me to see the children having a good time while learning.”

<p>Cowpens National Battlefield's Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and Teacher-Ranger-Teacher (TRT) hosted a Kids Get Outdoors Day on June 27. The YCC is a summer employment program for young men and women between the ages of 15-18 who work and learn together on projects that further the development and conservation of the natural resources of the United States. Among the 100+ participants in the Kids Get Outdoors Day were 60 Hispanic children from the local Migrant School, a 4-week school for children whose parents are working in the area for the summer. The youth planned the educational activities under the auspices of one of the park's TRTs, who arranged for groups to participate.</p><p>Superintendent John Slaughter says of this program, “This is just one way in which we are able to facilitate the amazing discovery of shared diversity and inclusion among local youth. Our YCC experienced sharing local culture and history with a group of children they previously didn't know existed in the community. My flat hat goes off to our Teacher-Ranger-Teachers for putting into action our goal to diversify the next generation of NPS stewards!”</p><p>The circa 1828 Robert Scruggs House provided the backdrop for the students to learn about early American life, and the YCCs and TRT dressed in 18th century clothing to demonstrate the difference in how people dress today versus 200 years ago. By playing games such as “Jump the Brook”, quoits (an early version of ring toss), and 9 pins (bowling), and by making their own spinners, sachets, drums, and punched tin, the children who ranged in age from 3 – 15 years old, learned about life in the 18th and 19th century South Carolina backcountry. While visiting, they also learned about early American people hunting, farming, and cutting trees to make their clothes, food, and houses. The activities that the YCC and TRT led meshed perfectly with this year's Migrant School theme: South Carolina History. One of the YCCs stated, “It was fun for me to see the children having a good time while learning.”</p>